


Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

by runbravelybackward (victorienne)



Series: If You Lie Down With Dogs [2]
Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Comfort, M/M, Rescue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-06
Updated: 2012-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-07 01:19:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/425342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorienne/pseuds/runbravelybackward
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>Permanently dropped</b>
</p><p>Part of the <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/404964">If You Lie Down With Dogs</a> AU</p><p>When Dirk's brother, Dave, vanishes without a trace after a night out, Dirk and his best friend, Jake, dedicate themselves to finding and rescuing him, no matter the cost. Nearly eight years later, they may have found the lead they've been looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**Author's Note:**

> I received an anon request on my fic blog for some DirkJake smut in a cops AU. And somehow, this happened.
> 
> If you haven't read [If You Lie Down With Dogs](http://archiveofourown.org/works/404964) (up to chapter 7), you might want to do that first to avoid spoilers and better understand what's going on, but it shouldn't be necessary.

"Nothing here... Shit, I thought this would be it. It fit perfectly."

"Apparently, a bit too perfectly. It looks to have been nothing more than a clever decoy."

You push your pointed shades down the bridge of your nose to see better in the near-darkness. The flashlights you and Jake brought with you are the only illumination aside from the moonlight that filters in through the breaks in the roof.

"Why do you let me drag you to these places, Jake?" you ask with a slight smile as you scan the area.

"Why? It's thrilling getting to snoop around in abandoned warehouses and factories and deserted motels and such--no dragging necessary. And this isn't a one-man show--somebody needs to watch your back!"

"You get to do plenty of that without the forays into danger."

Jake's laugh echoes around the building. "Well, I quite enjoy both the forays and the back-watching, thank you."

You chuckle before peering off into the darkness at the far end of the warehouse. You were so sure there would be at least something here--even just a hint. Your research led you to believe that this was--at some point, at least--a base for the group that took your brother almost eight years ago. It's been months since you've been confident enough in a lead to travel to check it out. The case on your brother's disappearance was closed years ago--before you even got your hands on the files. So you've had to do all your investigating on your off-hours--and you don't have many of those.

As a beat cop, Jake has even fewer, but he's always willing to join you on your often fruitless ventures. Even when you tell him to stay home and get some sleep for one night in his life, he refuses to listen and starts preparing to go anyway. And it's almost impossible for you to say no to him. He's been invaluable these last eight years. He was your best friend when Dave went missing that night, and even when you didn't want to see or talk to anyone, he climbed over the fence between your yards to find you lying in the grass in the middle of the night. He didn't say anything, just pulled you into a hug and let you cry on his shoulder until dawn.

You know it was because of that that you could face your parents and your sister with your usual calm and could tell John, Dave's best friend, that everything would be ok and that you would find Dave, no matter what.

You scrapped your plans to move out-of-state for a job you'd been offered in order to attend the same police academy as Jake. He had intended to become a police officer after graduating from college and was pleased to have you joining him. Your career switch was sudden, but you knew it was the best chance you had. You couldn't trust anyone to be as dedicated to finding your brother as you are.

As soon as you were both receiving decent paychecks, you and Jake moved into a small apartment together, and it quickly became evident that neither of you wanted to remain just bros. You both adjusted easily to the new romantic element of your relationship, and your bond has only been strengthened by your common work and goal.

After less than a year on the force, you went back to school part time to get a degree in criminal justice (since your degree in astronautical engineering wasn't helping you on this front), and as soon as you were able, you transferred to the detective bureau. By then, the case of your brother's disappearance was already cold--they'd found little physical evidence (and none that led them very far) and could find no eyewitnesses. You knew you couldn't convince them to reopen the case without some significant lead, so you immediately began taking everything you could find about it and got to work.

And that work has led you here. It's been years since Dave disappeared. You don't even know if he's still alive--you don't know if he survived whatever encounter caused him to vanish without a trace. You know it's hopeless, but you'd be content with just some closure.

"Strider! Come over here!"

You turn on your heel and head toward Jake's voice. "What is it?"

"I believe I may have spotted something!"

You try not to hold out too much hope as you follow the beam of your flashlight to join Jake.

**Author's Note:**

> On pause until September!


End file.
